Official Google TV Blog

On a beautiful warm evening in Palo Alto, California, the Google TV team hosted their first ever meetup and Hangout On Air at the Sony Store in the Stanford Shopping Center. Nearly 200 of you came out to join us and geeked out on new and upcoming products.  It was a night of great conversation, food named after Android platforms (Ice Cream Sandwiches & Gingerbread cookies), schwag giveaways, and some awesome prizes.

Our Hangout On Air panel consisted of folks from Google TV, Sony, and Revision3:

• Rob DeMillo, Revision3 CTO
• Brian Brushwood, host of Scam School
• Ron Richards, our moderator for the evening and host of App Judgment
• Eric Liu, Google TV product manager
• Shawn Shen, Google TV developer relations advocate
• Rex Brown Jr., Google TV product specialist
• Kevin Lau, Google TV community manager
• Jason Clement Sony Director, Home Division Engineering Team

One of the best parts of the night was having a mixture of audience participation both in person at the store and virtually through Google+. We had a chance to address questions ranging from product ideas, developer news, and more.

It was a great event filled with excited and eager fans looking forward to the Google TV & Sony products coming out in 2012.

To watch the full replay of Tuesday evening’s meetup, visit our YouTube page here, and for all the latest info on Google TV, please visit our Google+ page.

Post created by Peter Sherman, Google TV Product Marketing Manager

If you’re cooking a special meal for the family, heading out for a picnic in the park, or staying in for a day of entertainment this Mother’s Day, check out these apps that look great on Google TV that can make her day even better.

A Special Meal for Mom
Kraft Foods Cooking School will give you just what you need to spice up your Mother’s Day meal. Browse recipes and watch cooking videos on your big screen to get some inspiration for your dish. Whether you're cooking up a big brunch for the whole family or baking a tasty treat, you’ll find a variety of creative dishes with Kraft. 


Check out Chow TV on your Google TV for cooking tips and how-to’s. Watch Cooking with Grandma and learn how to make Italian gnocchi with Grandma Paola, or put your baking hat on and learn how to make the perfect chocolate chip cookie. If cooking isn’t your thing, you may like “The Easiest Way” for recipes that just about anyone can pull off.

A Picnic in the Park
If you're planning a picnic, don’t let the weather interfere with your outing. Take a peek at the forecast on your Google TV with the Accuweather app. You can find the current and extended forecasts for any of your usual spots or favorite locales, as colorful weather images pop on your big screen. With the side bar menu you can quickly jump to weather maps, lifestyle content, videos, and weather news.
A Movie Day
If you want to stay in this Mother’s Day, use Plex to bring Mom all of the entertainment she could ask for. Browse through your personal media collection on the sleek Plex home screen on your Google TV and choose one of Mom’s favorite movies. Put on “The Incredibles” for a movie the whole family can enjoy, or if British drama strikes her fancy, check out “The King’s Speech.”  With Plex, you can also stream content from a variety of online sources. 


A Trip Down Memory Lane
Create a Pandora playlist based on mom’s favorite artist and then use the Photos for Google TV app to reminisce with Mom by watching a slideshow of all your favorite memories.  You can upload your favorite family photos to Picasa and then view them on your Google TV. Google+ Instant Upload lets you take photos with your mobile while you’re on the go and check them out on your TV when you get home. Snap a few pics during your picnic in the park and they’ll be waiting for you on your Google TV when you get back home ready to share with your family on your big screen.

How will you pamper Mom this weekend? Tell us on our Google+ Page. And if you found this post helpful, please share it with your friends.

To download Kraft, Accuweather, Plex, Pandora, Photos, visit the Google Play Store. Find Chow TV in the Spotlight app on Google TV.

Posted by Catherine Liang, Google TV Product Marketing Manager

Guest to the Google TV blog, Rob DeMillo, CTO of Revision3, shares his insights on Revision3 content for Google TV.

Remember those funny jokes your friends used to tell in college? You know, the ones that tend to have references to Star Craft or Magic The Gathering? Well, if you’re a fan of that kind of humor, then check out Revision3 on your Google TV. 


Revision3 has a wide selection of great shows to choose from. Watch reviews on the latest apps, games, and movies, or enjoy hilarious interviews and talk shows with some pretty awesome personalities. If you’re not sure what to watch, check out Best of Revision3 for a collection of all the best clips in one place. Watch Revision3 in your living room with your Google TV, or if you’re on the go, you can watch from your mobile phone or tablet.

Stay Up To Date On All The Latest Technology
If you’re in the market for a new phone or looking for cool games and apps, check out Revision3 shows like Geek Beat.TV, App Judgment, or Tekzilla. They’ll keep you entertained for hours with their subtle mixtures of humor and gadget talk. Find out the latest tips like how to become a human meme with Memefier and identify your most popular tweets with twtrland. 

What’s Hot And Trending
If you want to be aware of all the social happenings in the world including movies and reviews, then check out Revision3 shows like The Totally Rad Show or Breakin’ It Down. In The Totally Rad Show, learn factoids like how there’s an alien in every episode of South Park, where Alex Albrecht, Dan Trachtenberg, and Jeff Cannata give it to you straight with a dose of sarcasm and foolish humor. In Breakin’ It Down, Catherine Reitman brings you move reviews with a bite. Find out what she really thinks of Peeta’s casting in The Hunger Games or if the action scenes lived up to their previews in Wrath of the Titans.


Sit back, grab a cold soda, and enjoy Revision3, available in the Google Play Store.

Blog post by Rob DeMillo, CTO of Revision3

We’ve been working like it’s a 24/7 hackathon over here to bring all of YouTube to your Google TV, and today we’ve got a round of updates that bring even more entertainment to your TV.

Adding Recommendations in My YouTube
There’s a big, beautiful world of channels and videos on YouTube, and the My YouTube tab organizes all of it for you. With an hour of video coming to YouTube every second, there’s always something new to enjoy, so we’ve added Recommendations to My YouTube to make the experience more relevant for you.

Like a great playlist, Recommendations can introduce you to the ever-expanding creativity of YouTube creators, showing you how things like pillows, a car wash, and taxidermy are related in the most hilarious of ways. On the topic of playlists, all of your private playlists are now featured as a grid of videos so you can quickly find any video in your Watch Later or Favorites.

From a new favorite to a must watch
Recommendations and Search are great ways to discover all kinds of videos, and behind every great video is a channel you might enjoy even more. This February, you started seeing YouTube channels on Google TV. You asked us to make searching even easier, so we’ve added Channel Search to quickly find the channel you’re looking for. Find one you like? Subscribe and the channel will be available and constantly updated in the My YouTube tab.

Smooooooooth playback
YouTube videos should look crisp and beautiful on the big screen, so the video will start playing at the best available resolution based on your connection. If you need to share some bandwidth love with other devices on your network, YouTube will automatically switch to a lower resolution to keep your video playing smoothly, rather than rebuffering. In other words, play on, player.

YouTube +1
Finally learning about Gotye and want to share it with the world? You can now +1 the video the same way you can on YouTube, and it will appear in your Google+ profile.

Your new YouTube is automatically available now, and you can always download it from the Google Play Store . As YouTube is constantly adding new features, we’re always working to bring them to the Google TV app. Let us know on Google+ what you want to see in the future, and any feedback on the new update!

Posted by Maciek Molerus, Google TV Software Engineer

Our first Google TV Hackathon came to a close Sunday night, resulting in some really neat apps through strong participation from the developer community. As the app movement reaches for the next frontier -- the TV -- we’re encouraged by the energy, enthusiasm, and innovation we saw this weekend. Here’s how it played out.


Hacking away in Mountain View, CA
Throughout the weekend, 370+ developers from both sides of the Atlantic united for an all-out session of intense hacking, coding, collaborating, and fun. We saw 60 teams create apps in just one weekend -- everything from games to home automation to chat.

The judges had a great time reviewing the apps, but in the end, there could only be a few winners from each location. And here they are!

US:

• Deja: an app on social video channels (Best New App Built from Scratch)
• MyTV+: a media discovery app built around a novel way to aggregate social recommendations (Runner-Up for Best New App Built from Scratch)
• Viki on Google TV: an app to watch shows and movies translated into different languages (Best Ported App)
• Quizinator: a multiplayer quiz game with a very cool user interface (Best Multi-screen App)
• Popular Choice Awards: MyPicasso, PinTV, and Chess

UK:

• MyTV: a customizable dashboard of news clips, traffic alerts, weather reports, etc. (Best in Show)
• FeedMe: an app that streams a waterfall of images from various personal sources to background music (Best User Experience)
• Remoter: an app that makes the TV your hub for family communication using Google Chat and other APIs (Best Technical Implementation)
• Honorable Mentions: Pongan and I Don’t Know (that’s their name, not our admission of amnesia)

Presentations in London, UK
The U.S. winning teams each took home two highly coveted Google I/O tickets and a new 55” Sony Bravia HX729 HDTV, while our winners in the UK will be among the first people to get their hands on the forthcoming Sony Internet Player NSZ-GS7. A huge thanks to Sony for providing these prizes. Expect to see these apps coming soon and promoted by Google, Sony, AdRise, and others. “This hackathon was a blast and we would do it again in a heartbeat,” said Jiong Shen, MyPicasso.


Time lapse video of the UK hackathon
Special thanks go to SVAndroid and Londroid for hosting this worldwide event as well as our expert lineup of judges:

• US: Blake Krikorian, co-founder of Sling Media; Frank Chen, Partner at Andreessen Horowitz; David McIntosh, CEO of Redux.
• UK: Jamillah Knowles, UK editor for The Next Web; Ralph Becker, Senior Business Producer at Sony; Suveer Kothari, Head of Global Distribution Partnerships, Google TV; Eze Vidra, Head of Campus London; Rob Kniaz, Venture Capitalist

For more information on Google TV developer resources, visit our developer website, and stay tuned on our Google TV Developer Google+ page for more information and upcoming events.

Posted by Paul Carff, Google TV Senior Developer Advocate and by Catherine Liang and Peter Sherman, Google TV Product Marketing Managers

With hundreds of channels available from your cable or satellite provider, along with great Internet-based content providers like Netflix, Amazon, HBO GO and more, your TV choices can sometimes feel overwhelming. Google TV's refreshed TV & Movies app makes this feeling history. With TV & Movies you get personalized choices across all of your content options in a layout that’s easy to use, as well as features that keep you in the loop of what's on your favorite channels and remind you about stuff you've been meaning to watch.

More info makes it easier to decide
Wonder if that’s the latest episode of Attack of the Show? Wonder no longer. We’ve expanded the info below every TV show, movie, sports game, and any other program so you can more easily decide what to watch. We’ve also added a handy menu for those of you that want to dive deep into the details, rate a title 1-5 stars, tell us you’re not interested or add it to your favorites.

Find your favorites faster
Speaking of favorites... do you love all things AMC? Can’t get enough of ESPN? When you add them to Favorite Channels you’ll instantly see what show is currently playing on each. Add all your favorite channels and you’ll have a one-stop personalized guide of just the channels you care about. You can also add favorite TV shows and movies to your queue so you can come back later and watch them on Netflix, Amazon, HBO GO and more.

Tuned to your taste
When you open the new version of TV & Movies for the first time, you’ll be asked to login and rate a series of movies and TV shows. We use feedback like your ratings so you get recommendations that are made just for you.

If you’re in the mood for a great new show to watch, check out the new Trending This Week shelf in Shows. These shows are trending on the web based on what we’re seeing in Google Search, and it’s updated every day so you never miss out.

As Google TV keeps bringing more entertainment into your living room, the new TV & Movies app makes it easier to find the shows and movies you love and discover great new ones to watch.  It’s like making your TV work for you, which we think is pretty smart.

As always, find us on Google+ for more of the latest news, tips and tricks for Google TV.

Posted by Greg Funk, Google TV Product Manager

Posted by Catherine Liang, Google TV Product Marketing Manager The cold weather is behind us, the signs of spring are in full gear, and here in Mountain View, it’s time for a sun-filled spring break. Whether you are taking that much-needed vacation or planning a relaxing staycation, Google TV has you covered. Check out these apps to help you stay or go:

1. Research the destinations at the top of your list with Panoramio
Panoramio is a photo-sharing community that brings you scenic photos from around the globe mapped to their destinations with Google Earth and Google Maps. If you’re interested in Cozumel, check out Paradise Beach. If it’s the Bahamas that strike your fancy, take a look at the beaches, sunsets, and resorts before locking down those travel plans. Search for a destination you have in mind, or use “Cool Places” and be surprised!

For the perfect staycation, you can use Panoramio to go island hopping in the Caribbean, and check out the amazing beaches on the Island of Martinique. You can transport yourself to Hawaii, and watch the sunset in South Maui and the dolphins jumping out of the water off the coast of the Big Island. All without having to leave the comfort of your couch.

2. Plan your next vacation with Photo Voyages of Trey Ratcliff
If you’re trying to decide on a vacation spot, use the Photo Voyages of Trey Ratcliff for some breathtaking inspiration. Trey Ratcliff is an amazing photographer with an innate ability for capturing the beauty of exotic destinations. He uses the HDRI (high dynamic range imaging) technique, combining multiple images and adjusting contrast ratios, to bring out the intensity in his photos. Browse through his collection on your big screen and watch as the colors pop. Palm Beach comes to life with stunning shots of its beaches, pools, and sunsets.

For staycationers, transform your humble abode into an exotic destination. The vivid photos on your high definition TV will make you feel like you can jump right into the water in St. Kitts, or reach out and touch the sand on the Isla de Vieques.



3. Prepare for your trip using FlightTrack
Destination: Puerto Vallarta. Boeing 737, Delay Forecast: On time 70%. Use FlightTrack on your Google TV to stay up-to-date on your flight information. Watch the planes travel across the screen with the flight maps, predict potential travel disruptions with the flight delay forecast, and check out where you’ll be lounging on the flight with SeatGuru’s airplane seating maps.

4. Transform your living room into the airport of your choice with FlightBoard
FlightBoard lets you check the real-time status of your flight before you leave the house. Imagine you are in Paris with the look and feel of the board based on the one in Charles de Gaulle airport. Spark your curiosity and glance at what planes are arriving and departing in Lima, Amsterdam, Bangkok, or another travel destinations.



Tell us what you think on our Google+ Page. Vacation or staycation? What destination is at the top of your list? And if you found this post helpful, please share it with your friends.

Posted by Catherine Liang, Google TV Product Marketing Manager

Android developers, the biggest screen in the house is ready to be hacked.

We’ve teamed up with the Silicon Valley Android Developers Group (SVAndroid) and with the London Android Group (Londroid) to host weekend events hacking, playing with, and creating new experiences on Google TV. Welcome to the first ever Google TV Hackathon Weekend!

SVAndroid @ Google, Mountain View, CA

Come on down to Google TV’s headquarters in Mountain View, CA. Our expert judges will include Blake Krikorian, co-founder and former CEO of Sling Media; Mark Mangiola, Venture Partner at Canaan Partners; and Drew Olanoff, West Coast Editor of The Next Web.

Tickets are $20 and must be purchased by April 17. Join us for the event by registering here.

On Friday, April 20, we’ll kick off with a happy hour where team ideas will be announced. Saturday, April 21 is devoted to building, with breaks for demo sessions, Q&As, and a hangout with Google TV developers. On the Sunday, April 22, the teams will present ideas to judges for the chance to win tickets to Google I/O and other cool prizes.

Londroid @ Google Campus, London, UK

The London event will run in parallel with the Mountain View event, bringing in Android devs from all over Europe. You’ll have the chance to explore and create the future of television in Campus London, the brand spanking new workspace that Google has created for London start-ups.   

We will kick things off bright and early on Saturday, April 21, with introductions and background information on developing for Google TV. Teams will power on through Saturday night so that we can do a round of presentations and prizes at lunchtime on Sunday. Join us for the event by registering here.

See you later this month, and may the best hack win!

Posted by Paul Carff, Google TV Senior Developer Advocate

Guest to the Google TV blog, Brian Herbst Sr. Manager - Digital Products of NASCAR Media Group, shares some great features of Nascar Live on the Google TV.
NASCAR is about innovation. So when we had the opportunity to develop a new experience with Google TV that offered our fans the sport’s best video content, on-demand, and blown up for your HD television, we jumped all over it.

The NASCAR.com Live app provides everything you need to recap last weekend’s race and understand the key storylines headed into the next major stop on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The best passes, best sound bites, even the most significant wrecks…all available on demand for your viewing pleasure.

During the season, avid fans can check out their favorite driver’s position in the standings, look ahead on the Schedule page to gather the details of the next track, and view their driver’s best highlights in a vast video library. Fans are able to view content for each of NASCAR’s top 3 series within the app - the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.



For the casual fan that needs a little help understanding the sport, we’ve created a “NASCAR 101” section the defines commonly used terms, breaks down the current points system, and provides a history of how the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup came to be.


This is the content that helps the fan prepare for race day, when you can complement the network broadcast (on FOX, TNT, or ESPN) with some of the most engaging features from the app – live leaderboard and lap-by-lap text updates.

Live leaderboard gives you real-time tracking of driver performance relative to the rest of the field, while lap-by-lap provides quick descriptions of the action that’s happening on the track.


Pair the race broadcast with these Google TV features using picture-in-picture mode and you’ll be sure to make your buddies jealous.

At NASCAR, it’s our goal to provide more content in more places, giving the fan all the tools to engage in the sport, wherever they are. From the traditional web to mobile to social and now the television, Google has been a great partner in providing the touch points that allow us to deliver that content.

Download the app from the Google Play Store on your Google TV.

Guest post created by Brian Herbst, Sr. Manager - Digital Products of NASCAR Media Group

Think of all those times when you screamed at your favorite TV shows or movies urging the actors finally to have that long awaited kiss (“Go for it!”) or avoid a terrible life-changing decision (“Don’t go in there!”). Now Google TV is making this possible with Google TV Click, an innovative remote control app for your phone and tablet that lets you interact with shows and movies as they’re playing.  

Using the magic of our Common Gateway Interface technology and the patented Motion Beaming feature on your favorite celebrities, you can control the actors, settings, and overall flow of programs. Bored by a dreary atmosphere? Move the show to a tropical beach or an exotic jungle! Did Jar Jar Binks ruin the Star Wars prequels for you? Blast him off on a shuttle to a galaxy far, far away. With Google TV Click you are in control and can ensure that every TV viewing experience is to your satisfaction

.

We have extensively tested Google TV Click. The Matrix took a very different turn when we had Neo take the blue pill. In our version of Mad Men, Don and Betty are now happily back together.  Our second time through 300, we decided to give the Spartans helicopter support.  And we’re excited to see the drama continue now that we kept Shane from getting killed on The Walking Dead.

Give it a try, and take your TV watching to a new level. Our initial roll-out of Google Click will be available for download from the Google Play Store for one day only — April 31, 2012.  We hope you’re ready, because you haven’t seen anything like this before!

Posted by the Google TV team

Guest to the Google TV Blog Walid Chamak, Marketing Manager for euronews  talks about how you can watch the latest news using the euronews app on your Google TV app.

Now you can enjoy what millions of viewers across the globe love about euronews on their Google TV: an alternative and unique perspective on world events, providing accurate, unbiased, and factual information in an innovative format.
Every day, euronews’ team of 400 journalists, from more than 25 different nationalities, pool their talents to bring the top stories and latest development to our global audience.  



At euronews, we believe that a sensationalist approach to news undermines the information and distorts viewers’ perception of events. So, sit back and enjoy the uncompromising journalistic philosophy of euronews, now accessible on Google TV. No need to wait for the next newscast, the euronews app offers you the very latest news at your fingertips, anytime, from the comfort of your couch.

The lifestyle section provides you with the best of the arts, entertainment and the world around us. Whether it’s music, fashion, design, architecture or cinema, if it’s newsworthy, it’s on euronews. 
And don’t miss one of euronews’ most celebrated and symbolic programs, No Comment, with its award-winning and unique concept: striking images of current events from around the globe, unedited with their original sound.
This euronews app is already available in 5 services - English, Spanish, French, German and Italian. You can find the euronews app in the Spotlight Folder under the News category on your Google TV.
Guest post created by Walid Chamak, Marketing Manager for euronews

Guest to the Google TV Blog, Joel Pomerleau, Platform Development Director of the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), shares how award winning documentaries, animations, and films can be viewed on your Google TV.
One of the great things about film is that it sparks as much interest during the movie as it does before and after. Take for instance the week long film festival in Cannes or SXSW Film. Critics and movie enthusiasts come together for a week long event to talk nothing but documentaries, films, and video.

But hey, rather than traveling to a distant galaxy far far away, you can watch critically acclaimed films directly on your Google TV whenever you want. The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) created an app that features 2,000 English and French documentaries and animation films, all for free.

Whether you enjoy flamenco, wrestling, or documentaries on the War of 1812, NFB has a wide variety of content to suit your interest.

So, who’s the NFB anyway?
The NFB is Canada’s public – as in government-funded – film producer and distributor. Our mandate is to produce documentaries and animation films on topics relevant to Canadians and the world. Since our creation, we have received 72 Oscar nominations, and brought the gilded statuette home 12 times (a world record for a non-Hollywood studio).

NFB Films for Google TV
If you’re new to NFB on Google TV, a good place to start is the main page which offers recommendations for selected viewings. These recommendations, carefully curated by NFB staff, reflect current events, important calendar dates as well as social media trends.

Films for kids: Some of our animation films have attained cult classic status among kids. With this in mind, we’ve added a Film for Kids channel to the main menu to make it as easy as possible for kids to watch their favorite films – over and over again.

Channels: Channels are another great and easy way to explore the films we offer. If you’re unfamiliar with the NFB Catalogue, no problem. There’s a section called ‘Most Popular’ or ‘Classics.’  

Search: And if you are searching for a specific film or topic, use the search section to find what you’re looking for. Bilingual folks should note, they can search the French collection from the English interface. Prefer navigating the app en français? Not a problem. The language interface can easily be changed in the settings section.

My top picks
For the past 10 years I’ve had the opportunity to watch lots of films. Here are a few of my favorites to get started with:

1. The Devil at Your Heels tells the story of Montreal-born stunt driver Ken Carter’s attempt to drive a car over the St-Lawrence River, a mile-long jump. Not only is this story crazy and fascinating, it’s beautifully shot and would definitely make Tarantino jealous.
2. Walking is an amazing animated short by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Ryan Larkin. Simple and elegant, it is a true artist’s reflection on movement and art.
3. Project Grizzly documents the (totally wild) efforts of a Canadian man to design and build himself a bear-proof suit. The suit even had a cameo in one infamous episode of the Simpsons. You can guess who was wearing it.
4. And for the Francophiles out there, Junior is an amazing feature documentary on junior hockey. Shot in the pure tradition of cinéma vérité, this film deftly captures the intense pressure and business interests surrounding these young athletes. A must-see for anyone with kids in high-level competitive sports.
5. Le chat dans le sac is my all time NFB favorite. Shot by director Gilles Groulx, this film captures the essence of Quebec’s francophone identity crisis of the 1960s. The film, infused with French Nouvelle Vague aesthetics, even features a terrific original soundtrack by John Coltrane.

So there you have it. An exclusive all access pass to everything NFB. Let us know what your favorite movie is and, if you have recommendations for films you would like to see, we’re always looking to add to the collection.

Download the app from the Google Play Store on your Google TV.

Guest to the Google TV Blog, Joel Pomerleau, Platform Development Director of NFB

There’s a fast-growing number of apps for your Google TV – hundreds built especially for TV; thousands available from the mobile world. Some take you far from home, and some make home not feel so far away. If you live in the U.S. and your home is far away, we’re featuring apps this week that bring the hometown content you love to your Google TV, for free. Take a trip with us through some apps from around the world:

• PPTV offers high-definition video programming, including the latest cinema blockbusters and TV dramas from Asia.  Also available are popular anime series, variety entertainment shows such as Taiwanese Idol and China Super Girl, and live sports and financial news.  
• IslamBox has more than 40 Live TV Channels and over two thousand hours of video on demand in four different languages from around the world. Watch Islamic Channels like Islam Channel from UK, Express News from Pakistan, Peace TV from India, Bridges Television from USA, Huda TV from Egypt and many more.

• Yupp TV brings Indian TV channels live and on demand to your Google TV. YuppTV today has more than 80 channels available in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali and Punjabi languages.  

• Raaga offers South Asian music from more than 200 music labels from the region in almost 20 languages. This includes Bollywood content, as well as music in regional languages like Tamil, Telugu, Punjabi and more.
• Crunchyroll lets you watch Japanese anime and Asian Drama on your Google TV. The app offers the latest anime from Japan in English languages or subtitles, showing new episodes one hour after airing in Japan.
• Euronews is a web app that publishes news every 30 minutes covering the day’s top world, sport, business, lifestyle and breaking news. Languages available include Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish and Ukrainian.
• Al Jazeera offers an English version of the Arabic-language news network. This app brings breaking news and features plus background material including profiles and global reactions, and you can watch the latest Al Jazeera programs in HD quality.

Our promise of making it easy to access more entertainment for your living room means we’re looking far and wide for content relevant for you, whatever that content may be, or wherever your living room is.

Are you an expat using Google TV? Let us know what other apps you use to keep in touch with home on our +Google TV page!

Posted by Jennifer Wasson, Google TV Content Partnerships

Guests to the Google TV Blog, Brian Lisi, Qello CEO and Tom Conrad, Pandora CTO, Jurek Foryciarz, Google TV Product Manager share some great tips for music on Google TV. If you didn’t head to SXSW Music this week, no sweat. We got you covered with three ways to listen to what’s playing now on your Google TV. 1. When The Concert Ends - Qello Begins Turn your living room into a concert with Qello. With Qello on Google TV, you can choose from the largest and widest variety of stellar-quality HD concerts and music documentaries to stream right on to your big screen.

Whether you want to check out a hot new indie band like The Airborne Toxic Event or you want to get up close to a legend like Johnny Cash or Jim Morrison, Qello’s got something for you. Qello’s got the largest collection of HD concert films in the world, from the hottest new shows to the legendary concerts you’ve always dreamed of seeing.

Not sure what you want to watch? No problem. Click on Qello TV, choose a channel, and sit back and tune in to some of the best live music moments the catalog has to offer. It’s a non-stop festival of musical genius.

If you want to learn more about a band, an artist, or get the story behind the making of a classic album, Qello’s documentaries will turn you into a true music maven. With Qello, you’ve always got a ticket to see an amazing show. And with Google TV, you’ve got the best seat in the house. Visit the Google Play Store to download Qello.
2. Let Pandora Sing For You
And as the day winds down, let Pandora on your Google TV set the mood of the evening. Pandora lets you personalize your music stations to best match your musical tastes. It’s also available just about everywhere from your mobile phone, tablet, computer or TV.

But Pandora on your TV is just so much better from the comfort of your living room paired with the best surround sound speakers. Pandora has worked closely with Google TV to deliver a simple user interface that plays well on any size TV, bringing delight and discovery of personalized radio to living rooms everywhere.
With Pandora for Google TV, you can easily tune in to your personalized stations you’ve created on the web or on your phone, create new stations and rate songs with thumbs-up and thumbs-down feedback.
3. Lean Back And Let YouTube Work For You What’s great about Google TV is you have multiple options when it comes to listening to music. Take the YouTube for Google TV app. YouTube has just about everything and then some when it comes to music and entertainment.
Within the YouTube app, you can find all kinds of entertaining videos from creative minds like you. Take for instance, a music parody from Weird Al. Type in ‘Weird Al Yankovic Star Wars’ and you’ll find several videos to stimulate your funny bone.
What’s also great about YouTube on Google TV is that when one video ends, another automatically begins. Constant playback is great for when you have guests over and you want to turn your TV into a conversation starter.  

So instead of waiting for your protocol droid to pick a song for you in Geonosian, sit back, relax, and let the melodies of Google TV move the Force in you. 
Guests Post created by Brian Lisi, Qello CEO, Tom Conrad, Pandora CTO, and Jurek Foryciarz, Google TV Product Manager

Guest to the Google TV Blog, Alan Queen, discusses "The Neighborhood," a new way to use Google TV in public spaces. At MOVL, we create multi-screen apps for smart TVs and connected devices. You may have seen two of our existing apps in the Google TV Spotlight: WeDraw and PokerFun. We’ve received tremendous feedback from people who love to play along with these “living room” games using their smart phones as controllers. Now, we are taking the multi-screen experience outside the living room and into public spaces.

MOVL has partnered with V2 Broadcasting to create a new product for retail stores, restaurants, bars, and cafes called “The Neighborhood”. This unique experience will provide customers with special offers, and content, including multi-screen apps powered by MOVL and Google TV.


If you’re at SXSW, we’ll be demoing The Neighborhood in the Google Village. In each location, there will be several Google TV devices running MOVL apps. If you walk into a bar that has The Neighborhood, you’ll be able to download a mobile companion app and play games with other people in the bar.



One of the key aspects of this product is that the TV app and the mobile app will always be in sync. When the game changes on the TV, your mobile app will automatically change to the new game as well.

This means you won’t have to switch between mobile apps to keep up with what’s happening on the TV. If you launch the mobile app and the TV is playing Trivia, your mobile app will automatically load the Trivia interface and connect to the game.



All the apps use the MOVL Connect Platform, so everything happening on the Google TV is automatically synced with the mobile app.  We’ve also converted all of our apps to HTML5.
In fact, we chose Google TV for our launch platform because it has the best support for HTML5, whether an app is running in the Chrome browser or inside a native Android app.



What’s great about multi-screen apps in public spaces, is that once users connect to the TV app, they are also connected to each other. It effectively creates a mini social network, where users can communicate publicly or privately in each of the apps.


So the next time you are at your favorite pub, ask them if they have Google TV with The Neighborhood. If not, chances are they will soon. The Neighborhood will be launching soon in the Chicago area at Bar Louie.



In the mean time, if you happen to be at SXSW this year, stop by the Google Village for a demo of the The Neighborhood. And bring your own controller!

When you visit the Google Village at SXSW, head to the Google TV lounge at the Developers House, and go to http://sxsw.movl.com on your mobile device to play along.

Posted by guest to the Google TV Blog, Alan Queen, CTO and Founder of MOVL

Guest to the Google TV Blog Darrin Edelman discusses the benefits of using the Plex app to watch all your content on your Google TV.
If you want to display all of your favorite local and online media (video, music, and photos) seamlessly on your big screen TV, check out Plex for Google TV. Imagine being able to watch your movie collection, listen to your extensive music library or flip through your family photos without having to convert or move files to get them to play on your Google TV. Plex streams your music, photos and videos in real time.


Plex also supports a growing number of channels from many of your favorite online providers, giving you an easy and consistent way to consume your favorite online content. For example, you can peruse CNN for the latest news, or CNET for timely technology updates. With access to more than 200 channels there is a ton of great content, including Vimeo, Revision3, Live Music Archive, and NPR.


myPlex Plex offers an online service called myPlex with some really cool features. First of all, myPlex makes it incredibly easy to access your media while on the road from your mobile device. Simply sign the media server and the mobile app into myPlex and you’ll have instant access to all your home media. Also with myPlex, you can queue up interesting videos as you come across them, as well as easily share your personal content with friends and family.

The new release The upcoming release of Plex for Google TV (available shortly) has a brand new home screen, designed specifically to make browsing your media on a big screen much more enjoyable. You can quickly access recently added media, the next episode in a TV show you're watching (the On Deck feature), and much more. Here what it looks like!



Getting started If you’ve never used Plex before, and you want to connect to your local content, you’ll need to install the Plex Media Server on a PC, Mac or Linux to get started. During installation, you tell the Plex Media Server where to find your media, and it will organize it, pulling down cover art, ratings and other goodies to enhance your media browsing experience. Here are detailed instructions on getting started with the Plex Media Server.


From there, it’s easy – download Plex for Google TV from Android Market. Upon startup, Plex for Google TV will scan your network and automatically connect to the Plex Media Server you just set up. 


For the Plex Media Server and desktop versions, visit http://www.plexapp.com/getplex.


To keep informed on the latest Plex news follow us on Twitter or Facebook. Or tune in to our blogs elan.plexapp.com for a wide array of Plex information or darrin.plexapp.com for Android updates. Posted by Darrin Edelman, Head of Development for Plex for Google TV and Plex for Android

Guest to the Google TV Blog Miguel A. Díez Ferreira talks about taking karaoke to the next level with the new Red Karaoke Google TV app.
When you want to organize a party at home, karaoke can be a perfect choice to spice things up. Instead of installing a disco ball in your living room, download the free Red Karaoke Google TV app and get the party started.
Practice your favorite tunes from the 70s to now - you know, the songs you dance to at the club - but in the comfort of your living room. No need to feel shy, once you turn on your mic, we know you’ll be singing your heart out. Your television could become the best tool for singing thanks to Google TV.

Now, with our Red Karaoke Google TV app, we bring the largest karaoke machine in the world for singing to your big screen. There are more than 45,000 songs to choose from with new productions in different languages coming every week. 
What makes Red Karaoke even more awesome is our exclusive Pitch Tool to change the pitch and adapt the music to your own voice - with this tool at your disposal there’s no song too high or too low that you can’t sing. Plus, if you’re on the go or want to impress your friends with your great voice, you can use your Red Karaoke account on your TV as well as on mobile apps, websites, etc.

But Red Karaoke isn't just for singing, its also for listening and finding new friends. We have the biggest karaoke community in the world, with singers from more than 150 countries, and you can listen to their recordings, vote for them in our fun ranking system, leave your comments, and even follow your favorite singers.
That's only the beginning... Stay tuned to our Red Karaoke app for Google TV, and you'll find more surprises soon. Sing, Share, Play! Download the app for free from Android Market.

Guest blogger Miguel A. Díez Ferreira, Founder and CEO of Red Karaoke

Today’s guest post to the Google TV blog comes from Leon Nicholls, creator of the Able Remote app that turns your Android device into a customized remote.

Boss your TV around.  Now you can use voice commands like "channel CNN" or “app Pandora.” Or launch channels and apps with the touch of a button.  Yes, it’s that easy.  Your new favorite remote may already be in your pocket.

Able Remote turns your Android smartphone or tablet into a remote control for your Google TV. Just as you can customize your phone with apps, Able Remote lets you create your own remote button layout and in your favorite color too. Now you can use easy voice commands or intuitive swiping gestures to control your TV.  You can also create one-touch buttons to quickly launch Google TV apps, bring up favorite web sites or switch to your TV channels.
Mobile photos and videos on the big screenIt's so convenient to take photos with your smartphone, but what if you want to show your friends and family when they come to visit? Just beam it to your TV so everybody can see. Took a video with your phone that you want to look at on a bigger screen? Just beam that to your TV too.
Caller ID on TVWhen you’re watching a really good movie on TV, you don't want to be interrupted. But you might still be curious when somebody sends you a text message or calls you. Now you can keep watching while the text message and Caller ID is displayed as a notification on your TV.
If you’re looking to have even more fun with your Google TV, create your own Able Remote. You can find Able Remote featured in the Android Market on your Google TV. Once you have installed the app on your Google TV, use a QR reader app like Google Goggles to scan the QR code displayed on your TV screen. When the QR code is scanned, click on the link for the code to install the app on your Android device.



Posted by Leon Nicholls, Able Remote Creator

Can you feel it? Love is in the air. And just in case you forgot, today is Valentine’s Day. Don’t worry if it slipped your mind because things have been crazy at work or you were off saving the intergalactic federation from evil aliens, Google TV can add some fun to your night. 
While a dozen long stemmed roses might be more romantic, here are a dozen ways Google TV can work for you this Valentine’s Day:
1. Create Some Ambiance with Classy Fireplace To set the mood, download Classy Fireplace from Android Market. You can’t go wrong combining the warm glow of a crackling fire on the large screen in your living room with the melodic sound of pouring rain and a hint of soothing music in the background.

2. Cook Up Something SpecialYou’ve heard the phrase the way to someone’s heart is through their stomach?  Chocolate covered strawberries are like a six lane super highway.  Find recipes, cooking tips, and more in the Allrecipes app from Android Market.


3. Use The TV & Movies App To Find A Romantic FilmSnuggling up on the couch is always a great way to remind you of your first date. Use the TV and Movies app to find something great to watch, from classics like Casablanca to recent hits like Crazy, Stupid, Love.


4. Find The Perfect Gift On Google ChromeIf you’re too late for the flowers and candy this year, its okay.  Go to the web to pick up a gift certificate to her favorite spa or get her some nice bling. Then present it to her on the Google TV Chrome browser in full HD.

5. Remember Great Memories With A Photo AlbumRemember all those date nights? The trips to the amusement park or the strolls through the park where you captured some pictures? Create a Picasa album and view them with the Google TV Photos app while the two of you reminisce about great memories.
6. Create A Home Video On YoutubeHave you ever made a home movie? Here’s a quick tip - make a short video telling your loved one all the things you admire and adore about her. Login to your YouTube account, upload the video and when it comes time to show your special someone, open up the YouTube app on Google TV and voila... instant brownie points.
7. Set the Mood With Her Favorite MusicMake a Google Music Playlist of her favorite songs and have it playing on Google TV when she gets home. Create good vibes throughout the night.
8. Have Some Fun Playing A Game TogetherYou can also play a quick game of Sudoku while you wait for dinner in the oven. Just download the Sudoku Free app from Android Market and work together to crack the puzzle. It’s a great way to get creative.
9. Turn Your Living Room Into A Karaoke BarSinging and dancing in your living room? You bet. With Karaoke Channel you and your valentine can sing your hearts out from the comfort of your living room without having to shell out the money for those expensive private rooms. 

10. Watch A Concert From The Comfort Of Your CouchIf you have a favorite band or artist that you two enjoy, install the Qello app on your Google TV. It has one of the largest libraries of HD concerts in the world. It might even bring back those memories from your teenage years.
11. Queue Up A Playlist In PandoraIf you don’t have time to make a playlist and still want to set the mood, create a Pandora station on your Google TV with her favorite song and let the Pandora app do the hard work.  For added bonus, leave the Pandora app playing while you browse the photo album you made.


12. Find Even More With Google TV SearchIf you’re craving even more ideas, use Google TV Search to find videos, websites, and other ideas for what you can do to celebrate the evening with your partner.
13. One More For A Bakers DozenForget the two drink minimum and bring the comedy club to your TV when you share some laughs together using the ComedyTime app in the Spotlight folder on your Google TV.

Hopefully this post will help you make those last minute arrangements to really spice up this Valentine’s Day. 
If you found this post helpful, please share with your friends. We would also like to hear what suggestions you used or other ideas that you have tried with your Google TV.

In the next few days we’re releasing an update to your YouTube experience on Google TV making it faster and easier to find great content, adding YouTube channel pages, and giving you more control over your experience.

You’ll be able to update your app through Android Market, and you’ll see some big improvements. First you’ll notice the app works faster with smoother navigation for a better experience. Next, we’ve added a new feature called Discover, which lets you browse YouTube channels by categories. Whether you’re looking for hilarious comedy, delectable cooking content, or the latest news, you can find great channels for any of your interests.
We’ve also updated the YouTube app with new channel pages. You can navigate through playlists and videos in your favorite channels, and you can subscribe to channels from the YouTube app with just a click.We’ve made improvements to allow even more interaction with your favorite channels. You can now see related videos and more videos from the same user by pressing the up or down arrows on your remote. Once you’ve found a great video, continue to use the up and down arrows on your remote to find the Info screen where you can give the video a thumbs up, add it to one of your YouTube playlists, or leave a comment for the YouTube community.We hope these new features in the Google TV YouTube app help you discover even more entertainment you love!


Posted by Jurek Foryciarz, Product Manager